Maestri's Fish, Part 2: Fins

These steps are extracted from Maestri's video, "Modeling with Edit Poly 2."

1. Connect the eyeball to the fish mesh: Find Attach in the Editable Poly rollout. Click on the eyeball. The eyeball changes to the color of the main mesh.

2. Select the fish body. Click on the Mirror tool on the main toolbar at top of screen. Mirror around the Y axis.

3. Select the newly generated fish half. Click the Attach button on the Editable Poly rollout. Now the left side of the fish is a new Element in the mesh.

4. Switch to Edge sub-object mode. In the Front viewport, rubberhand down the center of the fish. This will select both the vertical edges of the two fish halves and the horizontal edges that join them. Alt-select the horizontals to discard them from the selection. Check in the Perspective viewport to be sure you have selected only the two vertical edges.

5. Click the Weld button in the Editable Poly rollout.

6. SAVE.

7. Make the dorsal fin: Switch to Edge sub-object mode. In the Perspective viewport, select 2-3 edges along the back of the fish to serve as bases for the dorsal fin.

8. Extrude these edges. Bring in the base width to 0.6, Hit Apply twice to make three extrusions.

9. In Front viewport, switch to Vertex sub-object mode and move vertices to create the contours of the fin.

10. Create the side fins: Switch to Face sub-object mode. Select a face to serve as base for the side fin. Click the Hinge From Edge button in the Editable Poly rollout. Set the angle to about 74 degrees.

11. Switch to the Edge sub-object mode. Click the further edges of the extruded pieces and Extrude these edges about 4.5, with a base with of 0.6.

12. Repeat Steps 10 and 11 toward the rear of the fish for a rear side fin. Your tools will remember your settings, creating a similar fin.

13. Repeat Steps 10 and 11 twice more on the opposite side of the fish body.